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The IB Extended Essay (EE) is a major independent research project that allows students to explore a topic in depth and develop strong academic writing and research skills. In previous years, one of the requirements was to have an abstract as part of the EE document. If you are wondering if this is still the case, this post will explain the current requirements clearly so you can format your essay correctly and avoid unnecessary work.
Does the IB Extended Essay Need an Abstract?
According to the official guidance from the International Baccalaureate, the Extended Essay no longer requires an abstract. In earlier versions of the Extended Essay, students had to include a short abstract summarising the research question, method and conclusions. However, this requirement was removed as part of a syllabus update in 2018. As per the current EE syllabus, students should not include an abstract in their final EE submission. This means that if you add an abstract to your essay, it will not be assessed as it does not fall under any of the EE grading criteria.
Including extra sections that are no longer required can create confusion and suggest that you are not following the most up-to-date IB guidance, which can take away presentation marks. Including an abstract also reduces the number of words available to use on more relevant sections of your EE, such as the background information or discussion.
Instead of writing an abstract, students now complete a Reflections on Planning and Progress Form (RPPF). Through three short entries - first, interim, and Viva Voce reflections - students explain how their research developed, the challenges they faced, the decisions they made throughout the process, and the learning outcomes they achieved. These reflections are used to assess students' engagement with the research process, which contributes to their final EE grade. In other words, while the abstract has been removed, reflection on the learning and research journey has become more important than before.
Many students may accidentally include an abstract because they rely on older examples or templates found online. When using sample essays, always check that they follow the current Extended Essay requirements. Older exemplars may still show an abstract, even though it is no longer part of the official EE structure. You can visit the Clastify website for the most up-to-date EE examples.
We hope you found this post helpful in learning more about the Extended Essay abstract requirements. For more useful materials associated with the IB, check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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